Robert Rapier

Latest articles from Robert

• Why The Midwest Should Protect The Ethanol Market

  Published 25 August 2019 | viewed 17,067 times

  Today I want to conclude the recent series of articles on ethanol. Previous articles in this series were: Ethanol Industry In Free Fall Since President…

• The Fatal Flaw In The Ethanol Industry

  Published 21 August 2019 | viewed 16,340 times

  Despite once being included on an “Ethanol Enemies List“, I would like to see a healthy U.S. ethanol industry. I think it’s important for the…

• The Reason China Is Winning The Battery Race

  Published 08 August 2019 | viewed 14,492 times

  The world is becoming increasingly electrified. Not only are developing countries increasing the availability of electricity to their populations, but the electrification of existing transportation…

• The No.1 Reason Why Oil Isn’t Trading Over $100

  Published 03 August 2019 | viewed 82,290 times

  One of the most important questions in the global oil markets revolves around U.S. oil production. There is probably nothing OPEC would like to know…

• The Permian Boom Is On Its Last Leg

  Published 28 July 2019 | viewed 96,485 times

  There’s no question that over the past decade, the U.S. shale oil boom has had a tremendous impact on global oil markets. The surge of…

• The World Can’t Let Nuclear Energy Die

  Published 20 July 2019 | viewed 21,360 times

  This is the final article in a series based on BP’s recently-released Statistical Review of World Energy 2019. Previous articles in this series covered carbon dioxide emissions, petroleum supply and demand, the production and consumption…

• The Ten Countries With The Greatest Fossil Fuel Production

  Published 20 July 2019 | viewed 36,804 times

  Despite the rapid growth of renewable energy over the past decade, fossil fuels still dominate global energy consumption. According to BP’s recently-released Statistical Review of World Energy 2019,…

• Renewables On Track To Pass Nuclear Energy

  Published 13 July 2019 | viewed 14,396 times

  This article is the fifth in a series on BP’s recently-released Statistical Review of World Energy 2019. Previous articles in this series covered carbon dioxide emissions, petroleum supply and demand, the…

• U.S. Increases Dominance In Natural Gas, Produces More Than Entire Middle East

  Published 10 July 2019 | viewed 13,900 times

  The U.S. became the world’s top natural gas producer as a result of the shale gas boom. In 2005, the U.S. was well behind Russian in…

• The Biggest Oil & Gas Winners In Q2 2019

  Published 07 July 2019 | viewed 29,767 times

  The first half of the year is in the books. Following its best quarterly performance in nearly ten years in the first quarter, the S&P…

• Despite A Boost In Demand, Coal Demand Remains Well Under Its Peak

  Published 06 July 2019 | viewed 24,822 times

  This article is the third in a series on BP’s recently-released Statistical Review of World Energy 2019. The Review provides a comprehensive picture of supply…

• U.S. Accounts For 98% Of All Global Oil Production Growth

  Published 29 June 2019 | viewed 29,117 times

  Earlier this month BP released its Statistical Review of World Energy 2019. The Review provides a comprehensive picture of supply and demand for major energy sources…

• BP Chief Pushes Renewable Investment Boost

  Published 20 June 2019 | viewed 13,662 times

  Last week the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019 was released, covering energy data through 2018. The Review provides a comprehensive picture of supply and demand for major…

• Renewable Capacity Moves Ahead Of Coal In The U.S.

  Published 19 June 2019 | viewed 10,632 times

  The revolution in renewable power hit a new milestone in April. Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released it’s latest Energy Infrastructure Update (EIU), with data through…

• Energy Majors Face Off To Get A Piece Of This $40 Billion Deal

  Published 17 June 2019 | viewed 10,231 times

  With the sweltering summer heat advancing, Iraq’s electricity sector is in desperate need of an upgrade. Residents suffer significant daily power outages, which often makes…

• America’s Most Important Natural Gas Export Market

  Published 13 June 2019 | viewed 12,755 times

  Recently the Trump Administration announced plans to impose a 5 percent tax on all goods imported from Mexico unless “the illegal migration crisis is alleviated.”…

• Is Now A Good Time To Buy Energy Stocks?

  Published 13 June 2019 | viewed 23,980 times

  It was only a month ago that I began advising investors to ease up on certain energy stocks, following 20 percent-30 percent gains since the…

• Ethanol Industry Suffers Major Blow

  Published 03 June 2019 | viewed 17,852 times

  Ethanol supporters were certain conditions for them would improve following Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s resignation. As Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Pruitt had sued the EPA over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).…

• The Tricky Question About Nuclear Even Experts Can’t Answer

  Published 26 May 2019 | viewed 16,347 times

  My wife and I have been watching the new HBO miniseries on the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. During the second episode, she asked me the…

• Debunking The Oil Industry Cash Flow Myth

  Published 11 May 2019 | viewed 33,112 times

  One of the refrains I often hear about the oil industry — particularly on those focused-on shale and tight oil — is that it collectively doesn’t make…